WESTERN NISSEDAL
Massive P2O5 and REE bearing magnetite ore, Western Nissedal
+ SUMMARY
- Nissedal hosts an underexplored Iron Oxide Apatite (IOA) / Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) mineral system as well as pegmatites
- A previously operating IOA mine within the claim area (Søftestad) is characterized by ore with 70.5% FeO, 3.5% phosphate and 0.17% rare earth oxides (predominantly Nd, Pr, and Dy), similar to the Per Geijer deposit in Kiruna, Sweden
- Pitting and outcrops north of the Søftestad mine reveal IOCG type alteration and mineralization. Sample grades are on the order of 0.5% to 2% copper, 0% to 0.1% nickel, and 0% to 0.1% cobalt.
- Unexposed, 1-3 kilometer-scale linear and circular magnetic anomalies form the main exploration targets
- Within the southwest portion of the claims, pegmatites enriched in rare earth metals, scandium, tin, tantalum and lithium are exposed on surface.
- Pegmatites may lie below surface within the vicinity of the targets. This is evidenced by exposure of pegmatites in historic mine workings. These may be highly enriched as pegmatite enrichment is noted to increase from south to north within the surface-exposed pegmatites.
+ LOCATION
The Nissedal project encompasses 165 km2 of southern Norway's Telemark county, 18 km from the small town of Treungen and 130 km by well maintained roads from Porsgrunn-Herøya, one of the largest industry parks and ports in the country. An abandoned rail line runs from Treungen to the port city of Arendal, also about 130 km away.
Nissedal Project area
+ GEOLOGY
- The project area covers the western portion of the Neoproterozoic Nissedal Complex, an outlier within the Telemarkia terrane of southern Norway
- Geology reflects a basin formed during crustal thinning and collapse prior to Sveconorwegian orogeny
- The complex carries a positive gravity anomaly. The western porion of the complex (i.e. the claim area) is dominated by magnetic anomalies and a slightly lower (but still positive) gravity signature than the eastern portion
- Lithology consists of bimodal volcanic and sedimentary rocks with an age range of 1.25 to 1.10 billion years
- Exploration targets are buried / hidden, but minor mineralization in outcrop plus deformed and faulted structure of anomalies indicates targets formed during and/or after basin formation
- A major shear zone bounds the northern part of the complex
- Brittle and ductile structures span all scales. Explosion and deformation breccia are widespread